SLAM! Wrestling Guest Column

Douglas could be WCW's saviour

Well wrestling fans, it is very possible we have seen history happen
before our very eyes. Right before the main event of Monday Nitro, we saw The
Franchise Shane Douglas come to the aid of Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit, and
Perry Saturn. After helping that trio he made some scathing remarks about an
old-timer who he left nameless. To Shane Douglas fans, we know who he was
referring to however.

For the past couple of years Shane Douglas has ripped on the Nature Boy Ric Flair for trying to keep the young stars bottled up under himself. Well, finally we may see another example of art imitating life.

It looks as if the young/old angle in WCW is about to heat-up permanently, and
Shane Douglas will be the catalyst. The important question will be whether
this angle will actually lead to changes within WCW or if it will be yet
another platform for young WCW stars to be used to "put over" veterans such
as Hollywood Hogan, Roddy Piper, and Ric Flair.

It became obvious this Monday that Hogan has no place in WCW anymore,
at least not as a wrestler. It was the same song and dance we've seen for
twenty years now. I mean, Dr. J is a great basketball player but would you
really want to see him go one on one with Allen Iverson today? Of course not,
unless you like seeing fifty-year-old men brutalized. Well, that is what is
happening to Hogan. Luckily for him he was able to face another technical
abomination in Sid on Nitro.

The nearsightedness of WCW to only showcase
established stars has cost them their young cornerstones Paul Wight and Chris
Jericho already, not to mention a few points in the ratings. It seems as if
until very recently they are still trying to live on the shock value of their
various free agent signings. Now they may have another crack at it with
Douglas leading the way.

For those of you unfamiliar with Shane Douglas, he has had a long and
storied wrestling history. The thirty-six year old native of Pittsburgh
joined the WWF in the early 90's, making a sudden impact and even appearing
in the 1991 Royal Rumble.

He disappeared shorty after and turned up in WCW.
During this time Douglas claims he was held down by Ric Flair and other
established stars who refused to pave the way for the young superstars of the
business. After leaving WCW he became a true superstar and icon when in 1994
he won the NWA World Title Tournament, threw the belt down and called it a
"dead" organization. With that he proclaimed himself the ECW World
Heavyweight Championship, a title that will very soon achieve true World
Title status once they appear on TNN.

In the summer of 1995 he left ECW and
joined the WWF as "The Dean" Douglas. Yes, a truly terrible gimmick. He held
the WWF's Intercontinental title for a matter of minutes at one time. He entered a real-life feud
with clique members Scott Hall and Shawn Michaels that still stands today. He
returned to ECW in 1996 and claimed that The DEAN was dead. He also
continued to dog Ric Flair in interviews at any chance he got. He won the ECW
Title a couple more times before ultimately losing it to Taz just a few
months ago. After leaving ECW in 1999 both the WWF and WCW bid for his
services. Maybe now we will finally see that Flair/Douglas feud transpire.

Looking at this list shows
what WCW could put against the WWF's equally impressive under-40 roster. The
question is will they? Right now we still have the same old names leading the
way. Hogan, Flair, Sid, Macho Man, Piper, Sting, and the list goes on. There
may be room for all of those guys with the possible exception of Hogan who
simply wants too much air time, and won't put anyone over. He's lost touch
with wrestling while he believes he is still the savior, as his recent
interviews attest.

So here is the question that we will see in the next few months. We
will see it in the WCW product, in their ratings, and in their overall
success. Is this young versus old angle just that, an angle? Or will this be
the first step to building this company around its young talent,
the same way the WWF has?

This may be WCW's last chance. If they let their young stars fade
away, so may their already dwindling ratings points.
Andrew Warren is from Princeton Jct, NJ and can be reached by e-mail at Chiefs29@aol.com.